2016 ANZ CHAMPIONSHIP

01 APRIL 2016 - 31 JULY 2016

ANZ CHAMPIONSHIP NETBALL

The ANZ Championship, also known as the Trans-Tasman Netball League, is a professional netball competition in Australia and New Zealand. Consisting of ten teams, five from Australia and five from New Zealand, it was founded in 2007. The inaugural season commenced in 2008. After 14 weeks of round-robin style matches and three weeks of finals, the Premiers are decided and one team walks away with the ANZ Championship. The inaugural competition was won by the New South Wales Swifts, who defeated the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic 65 & 56.

Since its inception, the ANZ Championship has been dominated by Australian teams, with the Adelaide Thunderbirds and the Melbourne Vixens enjoying two titles each. It wasn't until 2012 that a New Zealand team finally took home the silverware, with the Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic defeating the Melbourne Vixens 41 & 38.

PREVIOUS ANZ CHAMPIONSHIP WINNERS

YEAR

WINNER

RUNNERS UP

SCORE

2015

QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS

NEW SOUTH WALES SWIFTS

57-56

2014

MELBOURNE VIXENS

QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS

53-42

2013

ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS

QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS

50-48

2012

WAIKATO BAY OF PLENTY MAGIC

MELBOURNE VIXENS

41-38

2011

QUEENSLAND FIREBIRDS

NORTHERN MYSTICS

87-44

2010

ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS

WAIKATO BAY OF PLENTY MAGIC

52-42

2009

MELBOURNE VIXENS

ADELAIDE THUNDERBIRDS

54-46

2008

NEW SOUTH WALES SWIFTS

WAIKATO BAY OF PLENTY MAGIC

65-56

Like every professional sport, the ANZ Championship hands out an award for the best player during the regular season. As it is in the NBA and NBL, this award it titled the MVP (Most Valuable Player). Only one person has won the award on multiple occasions, with Jamaican Romelda Aiken presented the prestigious trophy in 2008 and 2009 for her efforts with the Queensland Firebirds.